Newark Memorial beats Dublin, makes case for Open Division

So much for the notion that it’s hard to beat a good team three times in the same season.

On Friday, the Newark Memorial boys’ basketball team did just that when it rolled to a 74-60 win over Dublin in the North Coast Section Division II championship game at Washington High-Fremont. The top-seeded Cougars (23-7) repeated as section champions for the first time under 23rd-year coach Craig Ashmore, who has proven time and again to be one of the best head coaches in the Bay Area.

“To beat a strong Dublin team three times was a big-time task,” Ashmore said. “They’re explosive and a tough team to match up with. It wasn’t easy.”

Newark Memorial just made it look that way. Dynamic point guard Joey Frenchwood scored a game-high 20 points, post Chandler Rockwell had 16 and playmaking shooting guard Jo Jo Zamora finished with 14 as the Cougars beat the second-seeded Gaels (24-6) for the third time in as many tries this season, all by 13 points or more.

“We didn’t feel any pressure to beat them again,” Frenchwood said. “We know they’re athletic and they can get up and down, but we have a lot of confidence in our abilities.”

It’s easy to see why. With length, depth, athleticism at every position and a suffocating defense, Newark Memorial never let a talented Dublin squad back in the game after taking the lead midway through the second quarter. The Gaels led 20-18 with 5:18 left in the second before the Cougars went on a 14-4 run to end the first half, capped by Frenchwood’s coast-to-coast layup at the buzzer to make it 32-22 at halftime.

The Gaels got to within three points, 36-33, on Joe McGlaston’s dunk with 5:10 left in the third quarter, but that’s as close as they would get. The Cougars promptly responded with a 12-0 run to effectively seal the outcome. Even though McGlaston finished with 18 points, it came on just 4-of-12 shooting. Newark’s swarming defense kept McGlaston in check along with the rest of the Dublin team.

Cameron Moses (11 points) was the only other Gael in double figures, and the usually dangerous Jamir Andrews was limited to 8 points. Even though the Cougars excel in a half-court game, they had more fast-break points (20-14) than Dublin as Frenchwood pushed the pace at the opportune times.

“We were able to keep the tempo we wanted to, and Joey was really instrumental in that,” Ashmore said. “Joey has really deferred a lot this season in his (scoring) stats to make us better. Sometimes it’s hard for a young man with his talent to defer, but he’s realized a point guard will get credit when his team wins games, and tonight was a perfect example of that.”

Indeed, the lightning-quick Frenchwood always seemed to be in control, getting to the basket whenever he wanted to and dictating the tempo from start to finish.

“It’s all about winning,” Frenchwood said. “I’m going to do what’s best for the team, and if that means scoring less, that’s OK with me. It’s a great feeling to repeat as NCS champs, and our next goal is to go for state.”

One of the best — and most underrated — basketball programs in the Bay Area will likely be moved up to the NorCal Open Division, pitting the best eight squads in what surely will be a knock-down affair. Bring it on, Frenchwood said.

“We can play with anyone because we’re all about defense,” Frenchwood said.

And rebounding. The Cougars absolutely killed the Gaels on the boards, finishing with a 17-7 advantage in offensive rebounds.

“Wow, I didn’t know that,” Ashmore said, when notified of the stat. “That tells you our post guys were active.”

The 6-foot-5 Rockwell had five offensive rebounds and 6-9 center Mathew Thomas had a game-high 13 rebounds, including eight offensive. Newark’s domination on the glass led to 18 second-chance points. If the Cougars seem to be peaking at the right time, it’s because they are. Newark has won 17 of its last 18 games and rolled through the Division II tournament field, winning four games by an average margin of 21.8 points.